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A dreadful movie...... I watched this movie based upon recommendations/ reviews. The concept of filming over 12 years is very ambitious & could have created an inspiring movie. However this movie is meandering & very boring. The movie provides an eye opening view into the consequences of parents who are self absorbed & lacking clear focus about what parenting entails & priority for their children. Mason is dragged through multiple living situations that expose him to adults who demonstrate harmful or narcissistic or addictive behaviors. We couldn't watch the whole movie - it was so depressing. We "skipped forward" through lengthy, unscripted & very boring sections hoping, ever hoping, that something inspirational or redeeming would happen to this family. Unfortunately, by his later teens Mason evidenced repeating some of the poor choices that his parents had demonstrated in the early years documented in the movie. The adults did not "speak wisdom" into this teen's life. Rather they had little credibility with Mason b/c of their own poor track record. Similarly, the adults were "too busy" continuing on with their erratic & typically poor life choices to be clued into Mason's poor teen pathway. Do not waste your time with this movie. It is boring, lengthy, lacking any direction or redeeming theme.

I had some technical difficulty giving this the full five stars but it definitely deserved the best commendation. I give this movie 10 out of 10. It is one of the best I've seen. It flows effortlessly and seamlessly through several years full of changes. I have just watched it for the second time and was once again truly impressed with the richness and quality of the whole production.

It is a good movie and it is amazing that it took 12 years to film so they could use the same actors. I think people of different ages will enjoy the movie differently. I am in my 50's and ended nostalgic and a little down, since I watched it more from the parents perspective that are approaching the empty nest time. I imagine younger people will see it from a different perspective.

This was an OK movie that patiently follows a male actor as he grows from childhood to leaving home for college. His mom has two dysfunctional marriages which may/may not affect his personal strength and readiness for adulthood: he starts off college by skipping orientation to get stoned with his roommate and new friends. His two parents do remain in his life and it's clear they genuinely care for him.

I am glad to see that movie - now I understand better my son - I am from different culture so was unaware about some nuances here
also - how sometimes difficult is boyhood
it is fine to compare with Boys'n'Hood

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (an amazing by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. AMAZING!

Boyhood is a pretty good movie. It sends a clear message for all the parents and especially the mothers. Boyhood shows two samples of kids that are changing every year for the worse.. especially Mason who is always choosing the wrong friends and by "wrong" I mean bad friends who are teaching bad stuff like saying bad words, smoking, seeing and watching pictures or videos that are inappropriate for their ages. I didn't like the movie that much because this kind of movie is a little bit boring for teenagers and because I know what is good for me and what is bad for me. I give this movie 5/10 and it is PG 13. - @rahmamawlood of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

While the real-time filming was a cool gimmick. This movie was just as boring as growing up was...always waiting for something to happen, or for it end. Also, if anyone was wonder was Ethan Hawk was up to, there's that...

Quotes

Mason: That's the thing, though, I'm not doing it for attention. I just wanna try and not live my life through a screen. I want some kind of actual interaction. A real person, not just the profile they put up.
Sheena: I'm sorry. Were you saying something?
Mason: Yeah, okay, I know you're joking. But, I mean, it's kind of true. You have been, you know, checking your phone this whole time, so, what're you really doing? You don't care what your friends are up to on a Saturday afternoon, but you're also obviously not fully experiencing my profound bitching. So, yeah, it's like everyone's just stuck in like an in-between state, not really experiencing anything.
Sheena: It's not an experience, information it's just information.

Dad: Here's the truth. Women
are never satisfied, okay? They're always looking to potentially trade up, and that's, I'm sorry to say, what I think has happened to you, my fine-feathered friend.
Son: What does that even mean?
Dad: It means don't hand over the controls to your self-esteem to Sheila ... It means you are responsible for you, not your girlfriend, not your mom, not me, you. And if you truly take care of you, you will be amazed at how much girls like Sheena start lining up at your front door.

Mom: You know what I'm realising? My life is just going to go. Like that. This series of milestones. Getting married. Having kids. Getting divorced. The time that we thought you were dyslexic. When I taught you how to ride a bike. Getting divorced... again. Getting my masters degree. Finally getting the job I wanted. Sending Samantha off to college. Sending you off to college. You know what's next? Huh? It's my fucking funeral! Just go, and leave my picture!

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, what makes you think that elves are any more magical than something like a whale? You know what I mean? What if I told you a story about how underneath the ocean, there was this giant sea mammal that used sonar and sang songs and it was so big that its heart was the size of a car and you could crawl through the arteries? I mean, you'd think that was pretty magical, right?"

"Yeah. But, like, right this second, there's, like, no elves in the world, right?"